Aigle > Châtel Les Portes du Soleil

SWITZERLAND

Population: 8.637 million
Capital city: Bern
Surface area: 41,285 km2
Specialities: cheese (Emmental, Gruyère), chocolate (Nestlé, Suchard, Toblerone, Lindt), charcuterie (sausages, Grisons meat), fondue, watchmaking, wines (658 AOCs), lake fish (perch, lake féras, etc.)
Sports : International federations (IOC, FIFA, UEFA, UCI...), alpine skiing (Adelboden, Wengen, St Moritz, Marco Odermatt wins the 2022 World Cup, Lara Gut-Behrami double world champion in 2021), ski jumping, football (FC Basel, Young Boys, Neuchâtel Xamax etc... ), tennis (Davis Cup 2015, Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka, Martina Hingis, Basel and Gstaad tournaments), ice hockey (National League A), cycling (UCI, Tour de Suisse, Tour de Romandie).
Tourism: Grand Tour de Suisse (1,643 km route with 44 remarkable sites and 11 Unesco World Heritage sites). 
Economy: banks, pharmaceutical industry, watchmaking, food industry, tourism, international institutions.  
Websites: www.myswitzerland.com, www.admin.ch, www.ch.ch  

Fifteen Swiss cities have hosted or will host stages of the Tour de France (Aigle, Basel, Bern, Crans-Montana, Finhaut-Emosson, Fribourg, Geneva, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Lausanne, Martigny, Neuchâtel, Porrentruy, Schupfart-Mohlin, Verbier and Zurich). A Grand Départ took place in Basel in 1982. The Tour's first visit dates back to 1913 with a stage won in Geneva by Belgian Marcel Buysse. Geneva hosted nine stages before the war. Since then, 33 stages have been held in Switzerland. Switzerland has also won two Tours de France with Ferdi Kubler (1950) and Hugo Koblet (1951)

NOVILLE (Pop: 1,200)  

Temple of Noville

Foundation: former Saint-Maurice church dating from 1177.
Characteristics: the bell tower, quite massive, predates the 14th century. It ends with a stone spire from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The nave and the choir were built in the 15th and 16th centuries.  

Island of Peilz

Location: islet situated at the eastern end of Lake Geneva, opposite Villeneuve. This island, whose origin is mysterious, is reputed to be the only natural island in Lake Geneva, as well as the smallest and furthest from the shore.

Villeneuve (Pop: 5,900)

The town has twice hosted the Tour de Romandie, in 1985 and 1995, with Belgian Eddy Schepers and Italian Mario Cippolini the stage winners

VEYTAUX (Pop: 1,000)  

Chillon Castle

Foundation: end of the 12th century.
History: built by the Savoy family to control the passage along Lake Geneva. The fortress also served as an arsenal, a prison and, temporarily, as the residence of the Counts of Savoy. Characteristics: an exceptional monument, Chillon Castle exhibits nearly three hundred objects on its tour route. With the exception of the furniture, weapons and armours, all the objects presented come from archaeological excavations carried out between 1896 and 1903 at the castle.
Background: The castle is the most visited historical building in Switzerland.
Listing: Cultural property of national importance.

MONTREUX (Pop: 26,000)

On the shores of Lake Geneva, Montreux is one of the most popular holiday resorts in Switzerland, with its grand hotels, posh houses and one of the most prestigious jazz festivals in Europe. Among the celebrities who have stayed in the city are Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Empress Sissi, Leo Tolstoi, Lord Byron, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Pyotr-Ilich Tchaikovsky, Igor Stravinsky, Sarah Bernhardt, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. Singer Patrick Juvet was born in Montreux. Montreux, which has hosted the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse on several occasions, is also the birthplace of Laurent Dufaux, twice 4th in the Tour de France, in which he took part eleven times between 1992 and 2004. He also won the Critérium du Dauphiné twice and the Tour de Romandie once.  

Montreux Jazz Festival

One of the most famous festivals in the world, created in 1967 by Claude Nobs (it is the second largest annual jazz festival after the Montreal International Jazz Festival in Canada). Jazz virtuosos, pop stars and legendary rock bands made up the impressive line-up of the festival which takes place every year in September (2 weeks). With paying stages (Stravinski Auditorium, Montreux Jazz Club, Montreux Jazz Lab) and free stages, the festival has welcomed the biggest names in music: Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie and Stevie Wonder.
Trivia: in December 1971, the band Deep Purple settled in Montreux to record their new album when the casino where they were going to record the album caught fire before their very eyes. Thanks to Claude Nobs, the organizer of the jazz festival, the English band moved to the Grand Hotel to complete the session in a fortnight. But this fire inspired Deep Purple to write a song, Smoke on the Water, which became the band's biggest hit and a hard rock standard (360 million listens on Spotify, 113 million views on Youtube)  

Freddie Mercury statue

Foundation: Inaugurated in the 20th century (1996).
Style: Bronze statue (sculptor: Irena Sedlecka).
History: 3-metres-high, the statue represents Queen’s lead singer Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) in an iconic position and as he was dressed at the opening of the band’s Wembley concert in 1986. Freddie Mercury had a house in Montreux.  

Freddie Mercury (1946-1991)

Freddie Mercury, real name Farrokh Bulsara, was a singer-songwriter and musician. He is known worldwide for co-founding rock band Queen. Born on 5 September 1946 in Stone Town, in the former British protectorate of Zanzibar. A pianist, songwriter, with a wide range and a good command of some operatic techniques, he also wrote most of the band's hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Love of My Life", "Somebody to Love", "We Are the Champions", "Don't Stop Me Now". Freddie Mercury died on 24 November 1991 in London, aged just 45, and is officially recognised as one of the first victims of AIDS.
"Bicycle Race": Queen song released in 1978 on the album Jazz. According to legend, Freddie Mercury wrote the song afterwatching the 18th stage of the 1978 Tour de France between Morzine and Lausanne while Queen was recording the album Jazz in Montreux.    

Château des Crêtes

Foundation: inaugurated in the 19th century (1864).
Style: Second Empire.
History: Vincent Dubochet, a great Montreux figure, had this castle built in 1864 on the presumed site of Julie's groves described in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The New Heloise. Characteristics: built in brick with architectural elements in molasse and includes an octagonal turret crowned with decorative machicolations, themselves topped by a belvedere.
Trivia: Léon Gambetta, former French Minister of Defence and close friend of Dubochet, stayed here several times.
Listing: cultural asset of national importance.

LA TOUR-DE-PEILZ (Pop: 12,000)

French painter Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was the leader of the realist movement. In 1873, he went into exile and died in La Tour-de-Peilz, which is twinned with Ornans, his birthplace. The town bordering Vevey has hosted the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse on numerous occasions. It is also the birthplace of the first professional Olympic road champion, Pascal Richard (1996), who took part in the Tour de France six times, as well as of former pros Aurélien Clerc and Steve Bovay.  

Swiss Game Museum

Foundation: Inaugurated in 1987.
Surface: 550 sq. m.
History: the museum is the oldest and only institution of its kind in Europe. The collection, comprising more than 12,000 items, spans from antiquity to the present day. Unlike many other museums in the world, the Swiss Museum of Play distinguishes between "play" and "toys" and does not collect the latter (dolls, models, etc.).
Listing: cultural asset of regional importance.  

In Vevey (1.5 km away):  

Alimentarium or Food Museum

Foundation: built in the 20th century (1864).
Style: neo-classical.
History: built between 1918 and 1920, the first administrative headquarters of Nestlé & Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company was designed by Vevey architect Adolphe Burnat (1872-1946) who supervised the work in collaboration with architect Pierre Nicati. The building was constructed in the garden of the building housing the Cercle du Léman (former Maison Dufresne), located at the rear of the museum.
Characteristics: the Nestlé Room is the only room in the building that has retained its historic appearance. From 1920 to 1930, it served as the office of the Chairman and CEO of the Nestlé company. Today, this room is dedicated to the pioneers of industrial food processing, such as the inventor of tinned food and artificial cold storage.
Current purpose: since 1985, the first museum in the world dedicated to human nutrition. Listing: cultural property of national importance.

CORSEAUX (Pop: 2,300)

British writer Graham Greene (1904-1991), author of The Third Man, A Gun for Sale and The Power and the Glory, spent the end of his life here and is buried here.  

Villa Le Lac - Le Corbusier

Construction: 1923
Characteristics: Villa Le Lac is a villa built by Le Corbusier for his parents in 1923 in Corseaux near Vevey. The site was listed, along with 16 other architectural works by Le Corbusier, on the Unesco World Heritage List in 2016. A small jewel (64 m2) of ingenuity and functionalism, Villa Le Lac is an architectural manifesto that already contains the main ideas of the programme developed by Le Corbusier in the 1920s for his famous "white villas". A veritable laboratory of modern ideas, Villa Le Lac is one of the architect's most personal and inventive works.
Listing: cultural property of national importance. Unesco World Heritage Site.

CHEXBRES (Pop: 2,250)

Physicist, aeronaut and oceanographer Auguste Piccard, inventor of the bathyscaphe and a specialist in balloon flights, lived in Chexbres for a long time, where he died in 1962. He inspired Hergé to create the character of Professor Calculus in the adventures of Tintin.

JONGNY (Pop: 3,000)

A rider born in Jongny, Mike Gutmann, took part in the 1982 Tour de France.  

In Corsier-sur-Vevey (1 km away)

British writer James-Hadley Chase died here, as did actor James Mason. But the most famous inhabitant of the town was Charlie Chaplin.  

Chaplin's World

Foundation: opened in 2016.
Area: approximately 4,000 m2. 
Style: created by architect Philippe Meylan and museographer Yves Durand. In partnership with the Grevin Museum.
History: Expelled from the United States in 1952, at the height of McCarthyism and suspected of communist sympathies, Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) and his family decided to settle in Switzerland. It was at the manor house in Ban, surrounded by his many children (11 in all) and his wife Oona (daughter of Literature Nobel Prize winer Eugene O'Neill) that Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life. 
Characteristics: three parts of the museum are dedicated to the discovery of Chaplin's life and work. The scenography reconstructs the intimate life of the filmmaker thanks to wax statues of Charlie Chaplin, his wife Oona and celebrities who were close to the filmmaker such as Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. In the Hollywood studio, the sets of his most famous films (The Kid, The Great Dictator, Modern Times, The Circus, The Gold Rush, etc…) have been replicated by the Grévin company. There are many wax statues of artists who collaborated with him or who were inspired by his work such as: Paulette Goddard, Sophia Loren, Roberto Benigni, Michael Jackson, Federico Fellini. Also on display are some of the accessories and costumes worn by Chaplin in his films: his bowler hat, his cane, his torn trousers, as well as his Oscars and his certificate of ennoblement signed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975.
Listing: cultural property of national importance (the manor house).

CANTON OF FRIBOURG

Districts: 7
Municipalities: 126
Population: 325,500
Capital city: Fribourg
Surface area: 1,670 km2
Specialities: Croquets, meringues, Benedictine mustard, ham.
Sports clubs: FC Bulle, FC Fribourg, Villars Basket.
Competitions: Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse, Morat-Fribourg race.
Festivals: Les Georges in Fribourg, Francomanias in Bulle, Estivales Open Air in Estavayer-le-Lac, Bad Bonn Kilbi in Guin, Fribourg International Film Festival.
Economy: machinery, electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals.
Tourist attractions: south shore of Lake Neuchâtel. Collegiate church in Romont, castles in Gruyères and Bulle, Fribourg cathedral, Fribourg funicular railway. Museum of art and history in Fribourg. Puppet Museum.
Websites and social networks: www.fr.ch

CHATEL-SAINT-DENIS (Pop: 7,500)

Hosted two stages of the Tour de Romandie in 2003 and 2005. In this last instance, the stage started from Châtel and headed for the ski resort of Les Paccots. That day, a promising young climber named Alberto Contador won his first professional race in Switzerland. It is also the birthplace of the alpine skier Luca Aerni, the 2017 world champion in the combined event.  

Châtel-Saint-Denis Church

Foundation: inaugurated in the 19th century (1872-1875).
Style: neo-Gothic (architect: Adolphe Fraisse).
Listing: cultural property of national importance.

BULLE (Pop: 24,500)

It is the second most populated town in the canton after Fribourg. It is at the crossroads of Vevey, Fribourg, the Jogne Valley and Pays d'Enhaut. Bulle has hosted the Tour de Romandie ten times and the Tour de Suisse twice.  

Musée gruérien

Foundation: inaugurated in the 20th century (1917).
History: the permanent exhibition, which was renewed in 2012, is based on a tour on the themes of cheese, industrialisation, life on the farm, the town and its evolution, the territory from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, the religious heritage and the image of Gruyère. Characteristics: the current building, built in 1978, was extended in 2001.
Listing: cultural property of national importance.  

Castle of Bulle

Foundation: towards the end of the 13th century.
Characteristics: the castle is a quadrilateral structure measuring 41 x 44 metres, with the main buildings on three sides and a high curtain wall on the fourth.
History: the construction of the castle was probably started under the episcopate of Boniface (1231-1239). The castle lords administered justice in the name of the bishop. After the annexation of Bulle by the city of Fribourg, the castle became the residence of the bailiffs in 1537.
Current use: since 1848, it houses the Prefecture of Gruyère.
Listing: cultural property of national importance.  

Lake Gruyères

Location: artificial lake on the course of the Sarine.
Area: approx. 9.60 km2. 
History: Lake Gruyères was formed following the construction of the Rossens dam, completed in 1948.  

GRUYERES (Pop: 2,200)  

Castle of Gruyères

Foundation: 13th century.
History: mentioned for the first time in the archives in 1244, the castle is the main residence of one of the most important noble families of Western Switzerland in the Middle Ages, the Counts of Gruyère.
Characteristics: built in the 13th century, the castle is based on an architectural plan known as the Savoy square, a military model developed by the House of Savoy, of which the Counts were vassals. The building was protected by an almost square enclosure, flanked by a keep, a tower and watchtowers at its corners.
Current use: museum since 1938. It hosts numerous exhibitions of paintings. It is the second most visited castle in Switzerland after Chillon Castle.
Listing: cultural property of national importance.  

Gruyere cheese

Gruyere is a Swiss cow's cheese which takes its name from Gruyère, a region in the canton of Fribourg, where it originally came from. It has had a protected designation of origin since 2013. Its production area covers the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura, the Bernese Jura district and some municipalities in the Bernese canton. Alpine Gruyère cheese is only made in about fifty mountain pastures. The first mention of the word Gruyere to designate a cheese dates back to the 17th century, but since Antiquity this region has been known for producing a fatty cheese. Switzerland produces just under 30,000 tons of Gruyere cheese per year. Gruyere vies with Emmental as the most produced cheese in Switzerland.

CHATEAU D'OEX (Pop: 3,500)

The commune is located in the heart of the Gruyère Pays-d'Enhaut regional nature park, of which it is the headquarters. Several personalities have lived in Château-d'Oex, including British actor David Niven (1910-1983), who is buried there. It is also the birthplace of Madeleine Berthod, Olympic downhill champion in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo.  

Pays-d'Enhaut Museum

Since 1922, the Pays-d'Enhaut Museum has been collecting objects that accompanied the inhabitants of the region in their work and leisure activities. It exhibits painted or sculpted furniture, finely decorated tools, weapons, bells and skis from the end of the 19th century. These objects are displayed in fifteen rooms, several of which are reconstructions of cottage rooms where the atmosphere of the homes of the past can be found. In addition to these everyday objects, the Pays-d'Enhaut Museum exhibits numerous drawings, engravings and watercolours depicting the region, as well as period photographs that bear witness to the arrival of tourism. Finally, the museum has an exceptional collection of cut-outs, which are a tradition in the Pays-d'Enhaut.

COL DES MOSSES

The Tour de France has ridden the pass five times, with the following riders reaching the top in the lead: Frenchmen Jean Robic in 1949 and Stéphane Heulot in 1997, Italian Massimiliano Lelli in 2000, Frenchman Pierrick Fédrigo in the 15th stage in 2009 and Pole Rafał Majka in 17th stage in 2016. The Tour de Romandie notably used the pass in 2008, 2012 and 2013, as did the 2010 Tour de Suisse.

LES DIABLERETS

Since 1969, the resort hosts the Diablerets International Film Festival, a mountain film festival, and the Music and Snow Festival, a classical music festival held from January to March, every year in August. The ski resort of Les Diablerets has hosted the Tour de Romandie five times, the last winner being Simon Spilak in 2013.  The Tour de Suisse also stopped here in 2014.

COL DES CROIX (1,776 m)

The Col de la Croix from Villars-sur-Ollon to Les Diablerets is accessible from two tourist resorts in the canton of Vaud. On the western side, the road is 18-km long and has a maximum gradient of 13 pc. The new road was inaugurated on 27 September 1971. The 1997 Tour de France rode the western side of the pass (then listed as a 1st category pass) during its 16th stage from Morzine to Fribourg. Colombian rider José Jaime Gonzalez was the first to reach the top.

VILLARS-SUR-OLLON

The winter sports resort of Villars-sur-Ollon hosted the Tour de Romandie in 2016 (Chris Froome's solo victory) and the Tour de Suisse in 2017 (Larry Warbasse's victory). 

MONTHEY (Pop: 17,900)

Monthey is best known for its carnival, one of the biggest in French-speaking Switzerland. At the heart of the Chablais region and at the start of the Val d'Illiez, the capital and economic capital of the Chablais is known for its cultural and festive character. Monthey, which has hosted the two major Swiss stage races, is also the birthplace of former Swiss road champion Steve Morabito (2018), who took part in the Tour de France five times between 2010 and 2016. Another Monthey native, Bernard Gavillet, took part in the Tour de France from 1983 to 1987, notably as a team-mate of Laurent Fignon in the Système U team.  

Castle of Monthey

Foundation: built around the 14th century.
History: it was home to the governors of Monthey and, in the 16th century, the Bailiff of Chablais.
Current use: Monthey Castle has been made available to the town's cultural commission to organise exhibitions, concerts and other cultural activities.

MORGINS

A ski resort in the Trois-Torrents commune, it is part of the Portes du Soleil ski area. It is the resort of 2010 Olympic downhill champion, Didier Defago, and of slalom specialist Joël Gaspoz, winner of the big globe in the discipline in 1986 and 1987. 

PAS DE MORGINS (1,369 m)

The Pas de Morgins was ridden from one side or the other six times between 1977 and 1997 by the riders of the Tour de France (plus once outside the Grand Prix de la Montagne in 1977). The last rider to reach it in the lead in the Switzerland to France direction was Belgian Ludo Peeters in 1988.

AUVERGNE-RHONE ALPES REGION

Departments: Ain, Allier, Ardèche, Cantal, Drôme, Isère, Loire, Haute-Loire, Puy-de-Dôme, Rhône, Métropole de Lyon, Savoie, Haute-Savoie.
Population: 8 million
Prefecture: Lyon
Surface area: 69,711 km2
Specialities: Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône and Savoy wines, Lyon specialities (quenelles, cervelles de canut, saucisson), potée auvergnate, Savoyard specialities (raclette, fondue, tartiflettes, diots, crozets), cheeses (beaufort, reblochon, cantal, bleu d'Auvergne, Salers, saint-Nectaire...), green lentille of Le Puy, waters (Evian, Thonon, Volvic) verbena, chartreuse. Sports clubs: Olympique Lyonnais, AS Saint-Etienne, Clermont Foot 63, Grenoble Foot 38 (football). ASM Clermont, Lyon OU, FC Grenoble, Stade Aurillacois, US Oyonnax (rugby), ASVEL Villeurbanne (basketball), Chambéry (handball), Brûleurs de loup Grenoble, Pionniers de Chamonix (ice hockey)
Competitions: women's football world cup, ski competitions (critérium de la Première neige in Val d'Isère), Tour de France passes, Critérium du Dauphiné.
Economy: (8th European region) high-tech industries, automobile (Berliet), metallurgy, rubber, plastics, chemicals, electronics, food processing, textiles, digital, banks, universities, administrations, viticulture, tyres (Michelin). Design. New technologies (Inovallée) Winter and summer tourism. 
Festivals: Fête des Lumières in Lyon, Nuits de Fourvière in Lyon, quais du polar in Lyon, biennale du design in Saint-Etienne, classical music festival in La Chaise-Dieu
Tourist sites: old Lyon and Croix-Rousse, Puy-en-Velay cathedral, Lake Annecy, Chambéry castle, winter sports in Isère, Savoie and Haute-Savoie, Cantal, thermal resorts, Auvergne volcanoes. Caverne du Pont d'Arc. Castle of Grignan. Bastille of Grenoble. Vulcania. Parc des Oiseaux.
Websites and social networks: www.auvergnerhonealpes.fr

HAUTE-SAVOIE (74)

Population: 850,000.
Prefecture: Annecy
Sub-prefectures: Bonneville, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, Thonon-les-Bains.
Number of communes: 279
Surface area: 4 388 km2
Specialities: AOC/AOP cheeses (Reblochon, Abondance, Tomme, Tome des Bauges, Beaufort, Chevrotin, Emmental, Raclette), AOC Savoie wines (Ayze, Royal Seyssel, Roussette). Other labels: Berthoud (STG), Savoie pears and apples (IGP). Specialities and traditional dishes: Génépi, Crozets, Tartiflette, perch fillets (lake fish), diots, blueberry pie, Savoy fondue, potato fritters, honey, bidoyon (artisanal cider), gentian. 
Sports clubs: headquarters of the French ski federation. Football Club Annecy, GFA Rumilly Vallières (football). Thonon Evian Grand Genève Football Club. FCS Rumilly (rugby). US Annecy Rugby. Black Panthers of Thonon-les-Bains (American football). Annecy CSAV Handball. Annemasse Basket Club. Chamonix Elite Hockey Club "Les Pionniers". Pays du Mont Blanc Hockey Club. Haute-Savoie Nordic Team
Competitions and major events: Kandahar, Alpine Skiing World Cup - Chamonix Mont Blanc Les Houches, Greenweez Maxi-Race - Annecy, Alps Bike Festival - La Clusaz, Mountain Bike World Cup - Les Gets, Climbing World Cup - Chamonix Mont Blanc, Jumping International in Megève, Evian Championship, Ultra Trail of the Mont Blanc - Chamonix, Biathlon World Cup - Le Grand Bornand, Telemark World Cup - Samoëns and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, High'Five Festival - Annecy, Rock the pistes - Portes du Soleil, Critérium du Dauphiné, Ski Mountaineering World Cup - Flaine, Grande Odysée Savoie-Mont-Blanc, Tour de l'Avenir, Tour des Pays de Savoie
Heritage: Lake Geneva, Mont Blanc and Aiguille du Midi, Lake Annecy. Castle of the Sires of Bonneville. Castle of Clermont. Plateau of Les Glières (national necropolis). Montenvers train (Mer de Glace) and Tramway du Mont Blanc, Château of Ripaille, Col des Aravis, Les Flottins village, Pont des Amours bridge (Annecy), Santa Claus hamlet, Château of Annecy, bridge of la Caille, Basilica of la Visitation, La Tournette, Col de la Forclaz, Abbey of Abondance, Buvette Cachat of Evian waters,  Les Allinges castles, Baroque chapels of St-Gervais, Aulps abbey, Thermal spas of St-Gervais.
Festivals: International Animation Film Festival, Montjoux Festival, Guitare en Scène, Nomade Reggae Festival, Rock'n'Poche, Megève International Jazz Festival, Pleins Feux Festival, Flottins village, Morzine Harley Days, Musilac Mont-Blanc, Radio Meuh Circus Festival, Mont-Blanc Humour, Paradisio Annecy, Andilly Medieval Festival.
Economy: watchmaking (Cluses), screw-cutting, mechanics (Dassault, Alcatel), agriculture and agri-food (Reblochon milk production, tome, Evian water), mountain tourism, sports industry (Dynastar, Salomon, Mavic). Outdoor Sport Valley Cluster, for the economic development of the outdoor sector. Major facilities (Rochexpo, etc.)
Website: https://www.hautesavoie.fr/, www.haute-savoie-tourisme.org/   

Rich in heritage, quality agriculture, culinary specialities and unusual landscapes, Haute-Savoie is one of the most attractive departments in France, with a quality of life and standard of living that are unanimously recognised. It is thanks to the diversity of its territory that Haute-Savoie is able to make the most of it: mountain landscapes, exceptional lakes, dynamic valleys... From the north to the south of the department, locals and visitors take advantage from a remarkable living environment. Haute-Savoie is a true cycling region and since 1947 has hosted 18 Tour de France stage towns and 27 of its mountain passes have been crossed by the Tour. Since 2021, the Haute-Savoie Departmental Council has put in place a real policy in favour of cycling. Whether it is through support for projects in its 279 communes, through the "Savoir rouler" operation for schoolchildren, or through the hosting of numerous cycling events, Haute-Savoie is fully committed to promoting cycling.